


moonlight

by crypsis



Series: destiny knot [3]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pokemon AU, friend at first sight, otabek and yuri are both op champions bless them, set mostly in sinnoh this time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2017-05-26
Packaged: 2018-11-05 09:54:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11011044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crypsis/pseuds/crypsis
Summary: It’s not like Yuri’s never heard of Otabek—he knows that he’s the Sinnoh Champion, dubbed the Hero of Sinnoh after some mess with a Legendary Pokémon from which he’d emerged victorious, and he’s apparently easy on the eyes, according to Mila, but that’s it. It’s just that he’d never really expected to talk to the guy. But here Yuri is, hiding from some of his slightly more rabid fans in what must be the sketchiest alley of Rustboro City, and here’s Otabek, literally riding in like a knight (in black leather) on his Rapidash, majestic and fiery. Honestly, the guy’s freaking cool. Yuri’s gotta give him that.“Well?” Otabek says, reining in the Rapidash and glancing at the approaching fans from the corner of his eye. “Are you coming or not?”In which Yuri meets the reigning Champion of a neighbouring region and ends up a little more enamoured than he expected to be.





	moonlight

**Author's Note:**

> hi everyone! :)  
> this has been sitting in my docs long enough for me to feel a little disenchanted about it. all the same, here it is, and i hope you enjoy it. it takes place two years or so after cute charm, so yuri is 18/19.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shady alleys are great places to make friends in.

Yuri doesn’t really get why he has so many fans.

He’s not exactly what you call likeable, or even sociable, and he doesn’t really make an effort to hide that in front of an audience. He’s civil with his fans though—he’ll give them a picture or a signature if they ask for one, but he’s not going to go the extra mile and act like interacting with them is the best thing on earth. He’s no Viktor. Ironically, people _like_ the cold shoulder. Which is a little frustrating at times, because the cold shoulder is _meant_ to be cold and unwelcoming, not something that people flock to.

“It’s because you’re adorable,” Mila says, amused, while braiding his hair. “People like it when you’re feisty. It’s your thing now.”

Yuri rolls his eyes. “Adorable?” he says. “I’m getting a little too old for that, aren’t I?”

Mila laughs. “Maybe,” she says. “You’ve grown up quite a bit. If you’re tired of playing the cute child prodigy with a temper, you can ramp up that sex appeal now, don’t you think?”

Yuri gives her a look. “Really?”

‘I don’t see why not,” Mila says. “You’ve got a nice face and you’re reasonably tall now. You’re a little like a young Viktor—”

“Okay, never mind,” Yuri says, grimacing.

“Only a little!” Mila says, laughing. “It’s your hair—it’s getting long. Otherwise, you guys are pretty much polar opposites.”

“Good,” Yuri says. “We better be.”

“I’m done,” Mila says, satisfied, and holds up a mirror in front of him.

Yuri blinks. Puberty had taken him by surprise last year, a little late but still effective, and he’d shot up a couple inches, lost some of the childhood gangliness. According to Mila, his face has changed a little, too—it’s narrowed, more mature. The braid is neat, even, wrapping elegantly around to the back of his head.

“You look like a prince,” Mila says, smiling at her handiwork. “I’ll do something more complicated next time.”

“Thanks,” Yuri says.

Mila grins, stretches. “Well, it’s a new day,” she says. “Ready to get back out there, Champion?”

Yuri scoffs. “When am I not?”

 

Battling is undoubtedly Yuri’s favourite part of being Champion. It’s only been a year or so since he’s beaten Viktor, but there’s been a couple good challengers who’ve made it past JJ and into the Champion’s Chamber. Guang Hong, for one. And even Minami, which was a little surprising considering that he seemed to be strictly into Pokémon Contests.

It’d been fun. They’re two people that Yuri can legitimately stand, and even though he’s not particularly close with either of them, they’ve known each other long enough to develop an easy, quiet bond.

He can’t really say the same for the Elite Four. Aside from Mila, who’s taken it upon herself to be his mother figure, there hasn’t really been much of a connection with any of the others. It might be the age gap, it might be his personality. It’s not that he has any particular need to be friends with them—they’re a bit like his co-workers, and the most he really does with them is battling and training. They always invite him to go out, but it takes Yuri one awkward night with JJ annoying the hell out of him and Georgi crying and Mila trying to hook him up with some random dude who looks kind of like Yuuri, which _mortifies_ Yuri because Lilia’s sitting right beside them—Lilia, who’s basically known Yuri before he hit double digits, who doesn’t need to know about Yuri’s taste in men _at all_ —and Yuri realizes that he doesn’t particularly want to go out with them that often. Yuri can’t look Lilia in the eye for a week afterwards, but to her credit, Lilia doesn’t say a thing.

It’s times like these where he really misses Yuuri, even though he’d rather live in Viktor’s creepily over-decorated secret base for a month than admit that to anyone. Yuuri’d been the closest thing to a friend he’d had, and yes, maybe Yuri’s feelings towards him had been a little more complicated than that, but in the end, that’s all they’d been: friends. Even though Yuuri texts him pretty often, sends him pictures of Pokémon and places and Viktor (ew), Yuri can’t help but miss him.

“That’s cute,” Mila’d said when he told her, chuckling. “It’s like you imprinted on him. Like a baby Torchic.”

It’s probably kind of true. At least Yuri’s pretty much over him now—he’d given up once he realized Yuuri was infatuated with Viktor. Regardless, Yuuri’s still pretty hot.

Yuri sighs. Maybe he and Viktor are kind of alike, after all. Hell, he might actually miss Viktor just a little. Viktor’s weird and flighty and kind of a perverted horndog, and he and Yuri had never really gotten on that easily, but he’d been an amazing trainer and a pretty good teacher, and Yuri really does admire him a lot—

“Fuck,” Yuri says out loud, staring at the ceiling. “I really need some new friends.”

At the foot of his bed, Absol stretches and yawns, showing off neat rows of sharp, glinting teeth.

 

Amazingly, it’s like the universe listens, because a week after that, Yuri meets Otabek Altin.

It’s not like Yuri’s never heard of Otabek—he knows that he’s the Sinnoh Champion, dubbed the Hero of Sinnoh after some mess with a Legendary Pokémon from which he’d emerged victorious, and he’s apparently easy on the eyes, according to Mila, but that’s it. It’s just that he’d never really expected to talk to the guy. But here Yuri is, hiding from some of his slightly more rabid fans in what must be the sketchiest alley of Rustboro City, and here’s Otabek, literally riding in like a knight (in black leather) on his Rapidash, majestic and fiery. Honestly, the guy’s freaking cool. Yuri’s gotta give him that.

“Well?” Otabek says, reining in the Rapidash and glancing at the approaching fans from the corner of his eye. “Are you coming or not?”

Yuri’s eyes widen, and he’s a little at a loss for what to say. “You’re—”

There’s a shriek at the end of the alley, and Yuri stiffens. “Oh my god! He’s over there!”

“Yeah, I’m coming,” he says, and clambers ungracefully onto the Rapidash’s broad back behind Otabek.

“Hold on,” Otabek tells him, and Yuri obediently wraps his arms around Otabek’s waist.

With a nudge of Otabek’s heels, the Rapidash sets off at a smooth canter, its hooves striking the cobbled ground with a crisp sound. It’s not as uncomfortable as Yuri thought it’d be—the Rapidash’s gait is wonderfully fluid, and the whole thing is rather exhilarating, if he’s to be honest. Otabek commands the Rapidash with a practiced ease, barely using the bridle—it’s like the Rapidash wants to go wherever Otabek does. There’s an amiable, wordless connection between the two of them, and Yuri’s really rather impressed.

They ride in silence for a while, the wind whipping at Yuri’s hair, a part of him still wondering what the hell is happening. They slow to a trot once they get out of the middle of town and keep going until they reach the lake on Route 114.

“I think you should be fine here,” Otabek says, halting the Rapidash with a soft  tug on the reins. He dismounts smoothly and looks up expectantly at Yuri, offering a hand.

“It’s fine,” Yuri says. “I can do it by myself.”

He slides off, a little less elegantly than Otabek, but he manages it anyways. Otabek raises an eyebrow, seemingly impressed, but says nothing. He takes the reins and puts them over the Rapidash’s head, leads it gently towards the water. Yuri follows after him, feeling a little awkward, and watches the Rapidash take a long drink, its fiery mane and tail flickering gently in the breeze.

Yuri clears his throat. “Thanks,” he says, a little gruffly.

Otabek shrugs. “No problem,” he says. “Your fans are pretty aggressive.”

“Yeah, you could say that,” Yuri says, huffing.

Otabek cracks a small smile—the first one Yuri’s seen—and runs a hand through the Rapidash’s flickering mane.

Yuri gives an unconscious start at the sight of someone literally thrusting their fingers into what looks like fire, then tilts his head, inquisitive, when Otabek withdraws his hand, unharmed. “How do you do that?” he demands, coming a little closer.

“Do what?” Otabek asks, looking up.

“The touching fire thing,” Yuri says. “Don’t you ever get burned?”

Otabek chuckles, and—oh, he really is pretty easy on the eyes. “When I was younger, yeah,” he says, and reaches out, showing Yuri his palm. It’s covered in faded burn scars. “Ponyta and Rapidash control their flames so that their trainers don’t get burnt, though it’s a bit of a gamble when you start training one. But I think we’re alright now, yeah?” The last sentence is for his Rapidash, who raises its head and nuzzles his hair affectionately. Otabek looks back at Yuri. “You wanna try?”

Yuri blinks. He does, he really does. “Should I?”

Otabek nods. “If you like. You didn’t seem to be complaining about any heat when we were riding, so he’s alright with you. Here,” he says, and rummages in his pocket for something, then places it in Yuri’s hand. It seems to be a confection of some sort, a little like those Poké Puffs Yuuri carries around so often. “Just in case. It’s a Poffin. Feed him one, get on his good side.”

“Oh,” Yuri says, a lot more excited than he’s letting on. “Okay.” He offers the Poffin to the Rapidash, and the Pokémon takes an eager sniff, nibbling at the treat. Then it finishes the whole thing, licking gently at Yuri’s palm for the crumbs, and Yuri laughs at the sensation.

“That should be fine,” Otabek says, and he looks amused. “Go ahead.”

Slowly, cautiously, Yuri reaches out and strokes the Rapidash—just its cheek first, moving slowly towards the flaming mane. Heartbeat quick, he touches the fire with the tips of his fingers, and it’s a strange feeling, almost like water—a flickering, golden warmth that licks at his skin. He laughs a little out of sheer exhilaration.

“See?” Otabek says. “It’s not so bad.”

“Not so bad?” Yuri says incredulously. “It’s cool as fuck!” And then he turns, remembering. “Uh, do I have to introduce myself?”

Otabek shakes his head. “Do I?”

“Nah,” Yuri says. “Can I see the rest of your team?”

Otabek shrugs. “If you like,” he says, unclipping the Poké Balls at his belt. “Can I see yours?”

 

Yuri learns a lot about Otabek that day. First off, the guy’s team is wicked cool. Second, he’s in Hoenn on a short vacation, and lastly, this isn’t the first time he’s met Yuri.

“What?” Yuri says, sincerely surprised. “You were at the Trainers’ School in Rustboro? We were in the same class?”

Otabek nods, holding out a Poffin for Yuri’s Sceptile, who noses at it cautiously and proceeds to finish it in a gulp. “It was a long time ago,” he says. “My parents sent me over here because the one in Sinnoh burnt down. Some kid and his Chimchar did it by accident.”

“You guys didn’t have fireproof buildings?” Yuri says, perplexed.

Otabek shrugs. “Guess not.”

“I don’t remember meeting you,” Yuri says, trying to go through his memories. “Like, not at all.”

“Well, we never spoke,” Otabek says. “I just remember you because you were so young compared to everyone there, but you were so strong. Way stronger than me, and most people there, really.”

Yuri feels his face getting warm. “I wasn’t _that_ great,” he mutters.

“You were to me,” Otabek says. “Everyone was scared of you and your Absol.”

“Were you?” Yuri asks.

Otabek pauses. “I wanted to be your friend,” he says.

“Are we?” Yuri asks, before he can stop himself. “Friends?”

Otabek glances at him, taking a napkin out of his bag to wipe off the Sceptile spit on his hands. “I don’t see why not,” he says.

“Okay,” Yuri says, and he feels like he’s over the moon, but he keeps his expression in check. “That’s good.”

“Yeah,” Otabek says. And then, “I like talking to you. Should we keep in touch?”

 _Hell fucking yeah!_ Yuri screams in his head. “Sure,” he says. “Where are you staying?”

 

Yuri’s brushing his Zangoose’s fur when Mila bursts into his room, her Banette phasing in right through the wall.

“Yuri!” she fairly shouts, leaping at him. Zangoose scurries away, alarmed. “Explain yourself!”

“What?” Yuri says, partly confused and partly afraid.

“This!” Mila exclaims, shoving her phone in Yuri’s face. There’s a picture of Yuri and Otabek riding together on Rapidash, a little blurry but still unquestionable. “You hung out with Otabek Altin this afternoon and you didn’t say a thing? That’s why you took so long at Rustboro?”

“Uh, yeah,” Yuri says, trying to back away from her. “It’s not a big deal, Mila. Stop being so creepy.”

“What was he like?” Mila demands. “What happened? You better tell me, Yuri, I swear—”

So Yuri tells her, albeit reluctantly. Mila listens, sometimes interjecting (“Was he hot? He was hot, wasn’t he?”) until Yuri lashes out at her for being so annoying.

“So what you’re telling me,” Mila says, “is that you made friends with Otabek Altin and you have his number.”

“Yeah,” Yuri says. “What—”

“Give it to me,” Mila says feverishly, reaching for his phone.

“What the hell?” Yuri says, snatching it out of her grasp. “No, you creep!”

“Fine,” Mila says, eyes bright. “Then at least put in a good word for me.”

“No!” Yuri says. “Stay away from _my_ friend, you perverted grandma!”

“You’re so possessive,” Mila says, amused. “Like a kid with a new toy. Learn to share, won’t you?” She makes another move for Yuri’s phone.

Yuri makes a face. “I’m not possessive,” he says vehemently.

“Yeah, yeah,” Mila says. “Come on, Yuri, _please_?”

Yuri rolls his eyes. “Fine,” he says, relenting. “I’ll tell him about you, but you have to give me your entire pack of Lava Cookies.”

“Done,” Mila says, and they shake. “You’re seeing him tomorrow?”

Yuri nods. “He’s leaving in a week.”

Mila raises an eyebrow. “Guess I’ve gotta move fast, then.” She pats Yuri on the back and makes her way out of the room. “Thanks, Yuri.”

Zangoose makes a confused, apprehensive sound, finally emerging from behind the bed.

“Me too, buddy,” Yuri says, a little regretfully. “Me too.

 

Otabek’s staying in a relative’s house at Rustboro, and Yuri drops by the next day—they’d agreed to meet up for lunch. Mila’s done his hair in a more intricate braided style this time (“You need to keep up appearances next to a boy that fine,” she insists), and Yuri rings the doorbell a little self-consciously. At least Absol looks good, sitting primly at his feet.

In a moment, Otabek pokes his head out. “Hi,” he says, and he looks as cool as he did yesterday. “Just a minute.”

“Sure,” Yuri says, and leans against the house in an attempt to look casual.

A moment later, Otabek re-emerges, stepping out the door. His Luxray trails after him, strong and dignified, and it greets Yuri’s Absol with a sniff and a gentle lick.

“So,” Otabek says, “where are we going?”

Yuri shrugs, putting his hands in his pockets. “Where do you wanna go?”

“I don’t really know,” Otabek says, a corner of his mouth quirking upwards. “I only got here two days ago, so I can’t say I know Hoenn that well.”

“Oh,” Yuri says, brightening up. “Good. That means I can take you anywhere. Let’s go to Mauville!”

“Mauville?” Otabek echoes. “Isn’t that the indoor city?”

“They have a food court,” Yuri says, and then curses inwardly. “It’s better than it sounds. There’s battling involved.”

Otabek raises an eyebrow. “I’m intrigued,” he says.

 

They fly over to Mauville rather slowly, taking their time to talk. Yuri makes sure to point out all the notable landmarks (“That’s Mount Chimney. It’s like five thousand feet tall or something.”), and the native flora and fauna (“Swablu feel like cotton balls, which is really freaking weird, if you ask me.”). Otabek listens quietly, chuckling every once in a while. Yuri feels a satisfying sense of triumph whenever he manages to coax out a laugh from him. Maybe it’s because Otabek’s older and so, so cool, or maybe it’s because he’s the first normal friend Yuri’s really had. They aren’t pushed together by circumstance, like him and Yuuri or Viktor, nor are they forced together by proximity—Otabek really seems to like talking to him, seems to enjoy his company, and it’s honestly enough for Yuri to feel like an excitable, eager kid again.

Yuri likes Mauville—it’s busy, bustling, but so much so that almost nobody notices him if he puts on the right clothes. He leads Otabek to the food court first.

“Check it out,” Yuri says excitedly. “It’s actually socially acceptable here to battle people for their seats. You’ve gotta be ready for people to challenge you.”

Otabek snorts. “That’s hilarious,” he says. “Weird, but hilarious.”

It takes two curb-stomp battles for people to stop challenging them. “Hey,” one of the challengers says to Yuri, narrowing his eyes. “I feel like I’ve seen you before.”

Yuri takes it in stride, smirking at Otabek from the corner of his eye. “Yeah,” he says, flipping his hair. “People say I look like the Hoenn Champion.”

The guy pauses, thinks for a second. “Nah,” he says, shaking his head. “Nah, I don’t think so.”

Otabek snorts, tries to pass it off as a cough.

“Rude,” Yuri says, trying oh-so-hard to maintain a straight face. “I totally do.”

“Whatever, man,” the guy says, looking at him weirdly, and then leaves.

“Oh, that’s a good one,” Otabek says, grinning. “I’ve gotta try that one day.”

Yuri laughs. “Yeah,” he says. “Definitely.”

 

After lunch, Yuri takes Otabek for a walk in Mauville Hills.

“We’re _technically_ not supposed to be here,” he says, “but Viktor lent me his ID card. He’s got one of the ritzy apartments here.”

Otabek cocks his head. “Viktor Nikiforov? The Hoenn Champion before you?”

“Yeah,” Yuri says. “The guy’s weird and kind of annoying, but he’s loaded.” He grins. “Yakov lives here too. Viktor and I would always mess with him over the intercom.”

“That sounds dangerous,” Otabek says, amused. “Half my nightmares are still about Yakov’s Shiftry from when he taught us at school.”

“Oh, that thing is freaking terrifying,” Yuri says, shuddering. “It’s like… an angry tree. Oh,” he says, spotting the apartment door. “Here’s Viktor’s apartment.”

Otabek looks around. “Is he not here?”

Yuri places the key card against the sensor. “Nah,” he says. “He’s on vacation with his boyfriend. They just up and go whenever for a month or so at a time, and even when they do come home, they end up staying in Lavaridge. That’s why I’m allowed here—he couldn’t care less about this place.” He opens the door, holds it for Otabek, who steps in cautiously.

“It’s so… big,” Otabek says, looking around.

Yuri steps in after him, closing the door. “Yeah, Mauville Hills is for rich people,” he says. “I’m planning to get a place here for my grandpa when I make enough. He lives in Littleroot right now, but I’d feel better if he lived in a place like this.”

Otabek smiles. “That’s sweet,” he says.

Yuri would usually balk at being called sweet, but he doesn’t mind it so much when it’s Otabek. “He’s kind of stubborn about Littleroot, though,” he goes on. “Says he likes it there, but really—it’ll get harder for him to keep living like that when he gets older.”

“Ah,” Otabek says. “I see.”

Yuri bounds over to the mantelpiece, plucks a photo frame off of it. “This is Viktor’s boyfriend,” he says. “Yuuri. He’s a researcher, but I think he also goes around giving academic lectures about the science behind Mega Evolution or whatever. That’s partly why he and Viktor can travel so much.”

Otabek narrows his eyes. “He looks awfully familiar,” he says. “Viktor’s boyfriend?” He cocks his head. “Does he dance?”

Yuuri laughs, sets the photo down. “He sure does,” he says.

“Oh, I think I know him,” Otabek says. “This one summer in Unova, there was some guy straight up grinding on Viktor? Is that the guy?”

Yuri grimaces. “Yup,” he says. “That’s the guy. You were there?”

“Yeah,” Otabek says. “I never got to talk to you, though.”

Yuri nods, incredulous. “Wow,” he says. He grins. “We keep meeting, but not really.”

Otabek chuckles. “Yeah.” His gaze drifts to a picture of Viktor and Yuuri standing on Skyarrow Bridge, and he smiles a little. “So now they’re together. That’s pretty romantic.”

“You wouldn’t say that if you had to listen to them have sex every single night for a week straight,” Yuri says testily. “I stay at Yuuri’s place sometimes during the summer, and one week, Yuuri’s parents left to visit some old friends, and my room’s next to Viktor’s, so—”

Otabek laughs. “Yikes,” he says.

“Yikes,” Yuri echoes. And then, “Oh! I forgot what I came here for.” He pads off into the kitchen and rummages through the pantry for a bag of Lava Cookies. “Here,” he says, offering one to Otabek. “Have one.”

Otabek bites into it cautiously, then raises an eyebrow, impressed. “It’s good,” he says. “What is it?”

“Lava Cookie,” Yuri says, grinning. And then he remembers Mila’s request. “Oh,” he says, rolling his eyes, “one of my friends wants me to—ah, put in a good word for her with you.”

Otabek looks at him, perplexed. “What?”

“She thinks you’re hot,” Yuri says, annoyed. “She asked me for your number, but I didn’t give it to her. ”

“Ah,” Otabek says, amused. “Thank you.”

“Wait,” Yuri says, narrowing his eyes. “You’re single, right? Otherwise, never—”

“Yeah, I am,” Otabek says.

“Alright then,” Yuri says. “You might know her. She’s part of the Elite Four? Her name’s Mila.”

“Oh, yeah,” Otabek says. “I’ve seen her on television. She seems very nice.” He smiles apologetically. “But I’m not exactly interested in seeing anyone at the moment.”

“I’ll tell her that,” Yuri says, popping a Lava Cookie in his mouth. “Maybe it’ll keep her off my ass.” He heads to the door. “Come on,” he says. “Let’s go outside.”

 

Afterwards, they hang out in the courtyard and just talk. It’s unbelievable, that they’ve only known each other for a bit more than a day—it’s easy, talking to Otabek. They can talk about anything, and it’s such a strange, wonderful experience that Yuri feels a bit intoxicated. He’s a little louder than he usually is, a little more prone to laughter. Otabek tells Yuri about Sinnoh, about the region’s Legendary Pokémon, and Yuri hangs on to his every word.

“Your Legendary Pokémon sound cool,” Yuri says, nibbling at a Lava Cookie. “Our main ones are kind of boring, to be honest—there’s this huge thing who owns the land, something bigger that owns the sea, and this really long sky dragon that eats space rocks. And they can change the weather, or whatever. We don’t have any of that time and space stuff.”

Otabek cracks a smile. “I don’t know,” he says. “A sky dragon that eats space rocks sounds pretty cool to me.”

Yuri shrugs. “What else you got?”

“Well,” Otabek says, thinking, “I told you about the lake and creation trios, so—oh, Darkrai and Cresselia.”

“What do they do?” Yuri asks, breaking off a piece of Lava Cookie and tossing it to Absol, who snaps it up.

“People call them the lunar duo,” Otabek says. “Cresselia’s the crescent moon—it symbolizes good dreams and hope, and Darkrai’s the new moon—nightmares and misfortune.”

“Sick,” says Yuri. “Have you seen any of them?”

Otabek shakes his head. “Barely anyone has,” he says. “It’s been so long, people are wondering if they still exist.”

“That’s pretty much all Legendary Pokémon, isn’t it?” Yuri says.

Otabek shakes his head. “Not all,” he says, and Yuri remembers how Otabek had supposedly been in a crisis involving a Legendary Pokémon. He considers asking, but bites back his words at the last moment.

His phone goes off. It’s Mila, summoning him back to Ever Grande.

“Guess you’ve gotta go,” Otabek says, peering at the screen.

Yuri sighs. “Yeah,” he says, and gets to his feet.

“I’ll fly you there,” Otabek says.

Yuri blinks. “You don’t have to,” he says, but he’s actually pretty happy that Otabek offered.

“It’s fine,” Otabek says, getting up as well. “I haven’t got much else to do, anyways, and it’s fun being with you.”

Yuri grins, blushing a little. He can’t help it. “Thanks,” he says. And then, “You’re so direct.”

Otabek blinks. “Is that a problem?”

“Nah,” says Yuri, “I like it. Makes everything easier.”

 

Their journey to Ever Grande seems a lot shorter than it is. They chat about battling, about challengers and teams that were ridiculous but strangely genius.

“This one guy had an entire team with Belly Drum for doubles,” Otabek says, frowning. “Belly Drum and Psych Up. It’s a little finicky, I guess, but I think if you’re lucky, you could probably go pretty far with that.”

“Wild,” says Yuri, impressed. “That sounds sick.”

They land in front of the Pokémon League. Otabek looks around, taking it in.

“Your building is a lot nicer-looking than ours,” he says.

“Is it?” Yuri asks. “I always thought it looked more like some rich person’s house. Anyways,” he says, turning back to Otabek. “Thanks for coming.”

“It was fun,” Otabek says. And then, “Do you wanna go again tomorrow?”

 _Fuck yeah_ , Yuri thinks. “Fuck yeah,” he blurts out. _Oops._

Otabek smiles, slow and sweet. “Okay,” he says. “You want me to meet you here, or at my house?”

“I’ll meet you at your house,” Yuri says excitedly. “We should go to Littleroot next time. You should meet the other Dexholders—they’ll be so starstruck.”

“Sure,” Otabek says, and his Staraptor swoops down from the sky, claws gripping onto his shoulders. It’s a large, magnificent beast, with a wingspan probably longer than Yuri’s. “So I’ll see you then, Yuri.”

Yuri nods. “See you,” he says.

Otabek smiles, and then he’s gone, swooping into the air with a couple strong beats of Staraptor’s wings. Yuri watches him go, feeling uncharacteristically cheerful.

 

“Well?” Mila says expectantly when Yuri comes in, eyes wide.

“Sorry,” Yuri says brusquely, dropping his bag on the floor. “He’s not interested. Nothing against you, just not looking for something like that.”

Mila pouts. “Damn it,” she says, disappointed. She sighs. “Guess I’ll just have to wait until he’s feeling it, huh?”

Yuri gives her a look. “Why are you so obsessed with him?” he asks.

“Why aren’t you?” Mila shoots back. “Have you seen the guy?” And then she blinks, a sly grin appearing on her face. “Or are you into him too? Is that why you’re so possessive?”

Yuri scoffs. “Stop it,” he says. “He’s just my friend.” _Friend._ His heart sings.

“So you don’t mind, then?” Mila asks. “We’re not after the same guy?”

“We’re not after the same guy,” Yuri affirms. “But I mind, because you’re _you_ , and I don’t want you dating any of my friends. Ever. Viktor dating Yuuri is weird enough.”

“Yeah, but that’s different,” Mila says. “Because you—” She cuts herself off. “Anyways, are you guys really that tight now? You’ve known each other for—what, a day?”

Yuri pauses, thinks. “No,” he says primly. “We met years ago.” It’s true, he supposes.

“First time I’m hearing of it,” Mila says, amused.

“Whatever,” Yuri says. He runs a hand through his hair, smiles. “It’s just that—well, Otabek—he’s a cool guy, you know? I like talking to him.” Grinning, he turns back to Mila. “We’re gonna be best friends. Just watch.”

“I certainly will,” Mila says. “I wish you well in your platonic pursuits, my lord—”

“Oh, shut up,” Yuuri says, annoyed. “Go get ready for the challenger.”

 

Yuri goes out with Otabek again the next day, and the next, and the next.

They go pretty much anywhere—in the end, it doesn’t really matter, because it’s great just being with Otabek. Despite his almost bad-boy exterior, Otabek’s a damn saint and one of the most polite people Yuri has ever met, though he doesn’t seem to mind Yuri’s incessant use of profanity. Yuri can imagine him taking in a baby Pokémon that’s been stranded in the rain and subsequently cherishing it for the rest of his life.

The thing is, Otabek’s everything that Yuri wants to be. He’s strong, self-assured, with a strangely effortless charisma despite his taciturn nature, _and_ he looks good in black leather. It turns out that he’s into music too, DJs on the side as a hobby. He’s Yuri’s dream friend and role model, wrapped up in one amazing package and sent down from heaven with a ribbon bow on top. And the best thing is that Otabek likes him back, admires him and appreciates him as a friend just as much. Somehow, despite their differences, they always seem to be on the same wavelength.

“I’m glad I was able to finally meet you,” Otabek says one day, while they’re hanging out in Fortree. “I’ve always admired you as a trainer.”

Yuri’s eyes widen. “For real?” he says, incredulous.

Otabek nods. “The way you battle—you’re strong, but you’re clever. There’s a certain finesse to it. You do things that a lot of people wouldn’t think of.”

“Well—” Yuuri blinks, taken aback at the explicit praise. “Thanks, I guess.” And then he perks up. “You’re awesome, too! Your team is just like—” He mimes a punch. “Ba-bam! So fast. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone one hit K.O as much as you do.”

Otabek smiles. “Thanks, Yuri,” he says, and leans back on his hands, looking at the clouds. He lets out a soft exhale, the filtered sunshine dappling his skin.

“Oh!” Yuri says, grinning. “You know what? We should battle! We can go to my arena—”

“I’d rather not,” Otabek says quietly. “If you don’t mind.”

Yuri cocks his head, taken aback. “Why not?”

“I’m on vacation,” Otabek says, giving him a small, strained smile.

It’s not much of an answer, and Yuri knows it isn’t the real reason, but he doesn’t press. Though he’s disappointed, Otabek’s business is his own.

“Oh, alright,” he says. “That’s fine.”

“I’m sorry,” Otabek says, and he sounds a little wistful.

“No, it’s fine, really,” Yuri assures him. “But you should come to Ever Grande anyways! I wanna show you my Champion’s Chamber.”

Otabek smiles. “That sounds nice,” he says. “JJ’s part of your Elite Four, right? I trained with him once.”

Yuri makes a face. “Yeah,” he says. “He’s still there. Him and his goddamn dragons. I guess you’ll see him, or whatever.”

Otabek hums. “You didn’t braid your hair today,” he notices.

“Got lazy,” Yuri says. “Mila usually does it, just for fun.” He reaches into his pocket for a hair tie. “But I can do it, too.”

“Yeah?” Otabek says, looking at him. He shrugs. “Well, you look good either way.”

Yuri flushes. He’s not exactly used to such overt compliments. “Come on,” he says, tying up his hair into a quick ponytail. “Let’s go to Ever Grande.”

 

It’s kind of cool to see Otabek mingling with Yuri’s acquaintances, but at the same time he feels just a little peeved at how well they all seem to get on. JJ keeps on being his outrageously conceited self, Mila hits on Otabek incessantly, Georgi goes off on a tirade about his Hydreigon. Even Lilia decides to hang around, though she’s usually off by herself most of the time (“You lot are too young and stupid for me,” she’d said, and it wasn’t even meant to be an insult). And Otabek—well, he stays Otabek, polite and unperturbed, almost stoic despite the attention. He’s at Yuri’s side the whole time, though, and Yuri can’t help but feel pleased about that.

Maybe Mila’s right. Maybe he is a possessive person. Not that he would know—as a kid, he’d never really had anything—or anyone, rather—to be possessive of.

After an hour or so, Otabek takes his leave.

“Thanks for having me,” he says to the Elite Four, and they all respond with something uncharacteristically gracious and over-the-top. Yuri rolls his eyes.

“Come on,” he says. “I’ll walk you out.”

It’s almost sunset. Otabek sends out his Staraptor— _God,_ Yuri thinks, _so cool_ —and it swoops onto his shoulders, talons making an imprint in the black leather.

“Thanks for showing me around,” Otabek says.

“Thanks for coming,” Yuri says, and he’s smiling. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”

“Sure,” Otabek says, and he looks pleased.

A soft breeze picks up, ruffling Staraptor’s feathers, and the Pokémon looks up at the sky, eager.

“Guess you should head back now,” Yuri says.

“Yeah,” Otabek says. He smiles. “Goodnight, Yuri.”

“See you,” Yuri says.

The wind picks up again, and the Staraptor beats its wings once, twice, powerfully enough so that Yuri can feel the draft, and it swoops into the sky, taking Otabek with it. For a minute or two, Yuri just stays there, watches their silhouettes recede into the evening sky.

“Hey!” Mila calls from the door. “Come back inside. You’ll catch a cold.”

“Okay,” Yuri says absently after a moment, and heads back into the building.

Mila looks surprised. “Wow,” she says. “No snarky comment about being ordered around by me?” Her eyes widen. “Are you being civil now, Yuri Plisetsky? Is being friends with Otabek making you _civil_?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Yuri says, and he brushes past her. “Piss off.”

Mila throws back her head and laughs, the bright sound of merriment following him into the arena.

 

On Otabek’s last day in Hoenn, he braids Yuri’s hair.

“I have a little sister,” he explains. “She likes Contests, so I do this for her whenever she enters one.”

Yuri hums, closing his eyes. The sun’s shining warmly through his window, and it's making him drowsy. “That's sweet,” he says. “How old is she?”

“Eleven,” Otabek says, his touch gentle. He's slower than Mila, but softer, more careful. He wraps the braid around and back, pinning it securely. “Still on her journey.”

“Sounds fun,” Yuri says.

“Yeah,” Otabek says. Yuri feels him smooth away a few unruly hairs. “I'm done.”

Opening his eyes, Yuri tilts his head back and looks up at him. “Thanks.”

“It was fun,” Otabek says, smiling down at him. He reaches out to touch Yuri’s hair again. “Your hair is soft and thin. It's easy to manage.”

Yuri straightens up, gets to his feet. “I guess,” he says. “Well, it’s your last day of vacation. Anywhere you wanna go specifically?”

Otabek shakes his head. “Not really,” he says. “What about you?”

“I don’t care,” Yuri says, and then he brightens. “But—can we ride your Rapidash again? That was cool.”

“Sure,” Otabek says, smiling at Yuri’s enthusiasm. “It’ll be good to get some air.”

 

They end up on Route 121, which is long and open enough for the Rapidash to go at a full gallop, hooves thudding on the grass, fiery mane and tail streaming like a flickering blaze, kicking up dirt as it fairly glides over the ground. Otabek’s bent low over the Rapidash’s neck, and Yuri holds onto his waist for dear life, feeling the Rapidash’s muscles shift quickly beneath him. It’s amazing, really—like flying, but not quite. The wind whips at Yuri’s hair, roars in his ears, and he couldn’t be happier.

Afterwards, Otabek leads the Rapidash to water, which it drinks eagerly.

“That was sick,” Yuri says, pushing the loose hair out of his eyes. He’s grinning, a huge, stupid grin, but he can’t quite help it. “You do that a lot?”

“I used to,” Otabek says, patting the Rapidash’s neck fondly. “He loves running—he’ll chase cars and flying Pokémon, anything that can give him a good race.”

“I used to be able to ride my Absol when I was a kid,” Yuri says wistfully, “but I’m probably too heavy now.”

Otabek chuckles. “That’s unfortunate,” he says. “But I can teach you, if you’d like. To ride a Rapidash.”

Yuri blinks. “You would?” he asks.

Otabek shrugs. “Why not?”

“That’d be be freaking awesome,” Yuri says, eyes wide.

“Maybe not today, though,” Otabek says, glancing at his watch. “I have to head to the harbour soon, and you should probably get back to work.”

Yuri’s heart sinks. His disappointment must show on his face, because Otabek pats him on the head like he’s a kid or something, smiles reassuringly.

“It’s okay,” Otabek says. “I’ll come visit you again someday. Or you can come to Sinnoh, if you’d like.”

“But _when_?” Yuri says, a little despairingly. He’s gotten so used to Otabek’s presence, to having a good friend around, and the thought of Otabek leaving is a horrible, miserable one. “We’re both Champions, we live so far away from each other, and our peak challenger seasons are probably different—”

“Yuri,” Otabek says, hushing him. Yuri looks up at him. “We’ll make it work.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Otabek says. “That’s what friends do, don’t they?”

Yuri nods, a little at a loss. “Keep in touch,” he finally manages. “You have my number.”

“And you have mine,” Otabek says. “I’m sure we’ll be alright.”

“Okay,” Yuri says. He suddenly feels a bit like crying, but stops himself—he’s not going to cry in front of Otabek, of all people. “I’ll fly you to the harbour,” he adds, in a voice that doesn’t allow for argument.

“That’d be nice,” Otabek says, a small smile on his face. “Thanks, Yuri.”

 

The flight is strangely quiet, though not uncomfortable—it’s more thoughtful, contemplative. When they land, Yuri waits with Otabek until he’s about to board the ship, Pokémon League challengers be damned.

“Well,” Otabek says, slinging his bag over his shoulder and returning his Rapidash to its ball. “It was nice to meet you, Yuri.”

Yuri raises an eyebrow. “Just nice?”

Otabek smiles. “Amazing?”

“Fucking amazing,” Yuri corrects, and he smiles a little when Otabek laughs. “I’ll miss you.”

“Me too,” Otabek says, and before Yuri realizes what’s happening, they’re hugging. They break apart soon after—too soon, Yuri thinks, and Otabek grins as Absol licks his hand. “See you.”

“Bye,” Yuri says, throat a little tight.

And then Otabek’s gone, rushing up on the gangplank, the ship letting out a blaring blast of sound as it begins to start out on its journey to Sinnoh. Yuri sits down beside Absol, smelling the salt of the ocean, just watching. Absol makes a low rumble of comfort, assurance, and Yuri leans on its shoulder, sighs.

There’s the soft _ping_ of a text notification. Yuri pulls out his phone and blinks. It’s from Otabek—the first text that Otabek’s ever sent him, really. They’d never found much use for texting during the past week, since they saw each other so often anyways, but now—

Yuri opens the message. _Get to work already,_ it reads, and he breaks into a reluctant smile.

 _Don’t tell me what to do,_ he texts back, but gets to his feet anyways. With one last glance at the sea, he turns around and heads back into town, Absol padding quietly beside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> super luck is an ability that increases the possibility for a critical hit, and it's one of the possible abilities that absol can have, the others being pressure and justified. :)  
> additionally, quick balls are specialized poké balls that have a 4x catch rate if used on the first turn of a battle, which is what makes it so useful for completing the dex. no battle, no hassle, just another dex entry! bless quick balls.  
> (let's just pretend cell phones exist in the pokémon world. took some creative liberties there.)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading! Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated.


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